Gems and Jewels carry their own supreme importance in Indian tradition and culture. They are just not the ornaments to exhibit but have special ethnic values attached to them. We come across many established jewelers whose many generations have been carrying the legacy of their identity and quality forward. Fondly called ‘Family jewelers’ they carry the trust of many generations of their loyal customers. Mehul Oswal a young entrepreneur in the jewelry domain is an exemplary example of this legacy.
Mehul Oswal The Adroit Successor :
Not only is he an adroit successor of his 117 years old family business, but Mehul has also shown the path of how an established trust can be reinvented reshaped, and given beautiful contemporary colors to fit into modern perspective. Mehul Oswal, the fourth generational treasurer and Director of Mahendra Jewellers, Kolhapur, has created magic with his out-of-the-box business strategies.
The Humble Beginning :
Mehul joined Mahendra Jewellers at a young age, not as the boss but at the bottom of the pyramid as a sales executive. Born with the golden spoon he chose to hustle. Despite, being grown up in an environment where jewelry and business were a regular discussion and subconsciously acquiring the knowledge, he chose to start from scratch. He learned to understand the customer’s psyche and their preferences. This is when he started understanding and appreciating the trust people had in the brand called Mahendra Jewellers.
Understanding The Gap :
Apart from understanding the power of the brand, Mehul noticed that people from Kolhapur traveled to metro cities to purchase exquisite diamond jewellery as Kolhapur did not offer ample designs. So he decided to introduce some innovative changes and modifications. The brand has a very strong presence in the antique golden, temple, and Kundan jewellery, but the diamond section was relatively small and had very few designs. Assessing the demand for diamond jewellery among the new generation he decided to focus on this domain.
Learning And Execution:
Mehul learned every nuance of diamond jewelry from gem quality, production, and the requirements to build a business around it. He developed a super-efficient team. He combined advanced technology with jewelry exhibitions and invited known dignitaries and HNI clients to showcase exquisite diamond jewellery to them. The diamond jewellery from Mahendra Jewellers became both a trendsetter and a benchmark.
Mr. Oswal says “I am glad that my efforts brought the much-desired change in the perception of the older generation that ‘Kolhapur and Diamonds won’t go’. I already anticipated some resistance, but also knew that results would not be disappointing.”
Mehul Oswal Picking Up The Pace:
The initial appreciation and success boosted his and his team’s confidence then he introduced many other customized products like diamond iPhone’s, branded diamond watches, and diamond ornaments. A customized diamond iPhone in 2015 was out of imagination in Kolhapur, but he made it possible. This was just the beginning of infusing innovation into business. The brand that was known for classic and traditional jewellery now offers diamond, platinum, and silver jewellery along with its long-established gold collection.
Keeping The Value, Heritage, And Trust Intact :
Mehul says, “My focus was to keep the trust of our more than a century our valuable customers intact and expand the vision and product range. I am glad that we have been able to do it successfully.” Mehul’s efforts and success are the perfect examples that to add value, one does not need to replace old and established heritage. He has only added a few more valuable gems to his family business’s crown and flaunts it with much more elan than ever.
Mehul expresses, “This is the ancient legacy of ethics, trust, quality control, craftsmanship, innovations, creativity, varieties, and different classes of design, and the warm relations with our peoples, customers, and society. This is what we have in our blood, and our spirit must always work with ethics and innovation. This is our positive strength, our very backbone.”
